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"He has cracked three vertebrae and he is definitely going to be out for a while. It's difficult to say how long because no one here has had to deal with this sort of injury before.

"The defender sort of half turned him and the keeper has caught him. It's a real shame for the lad because he's a talented footballer. He will be back though, we just have to let the injury heal naturally."

There was better injury news for Ipswich, who are expected to have Scott Loach and Lee Martin available for Tuesday's game with Watford after the pair returned to training following thumb and hamstring injuries respectively.